Acts 26:24 ¶ And as he thus
spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside
thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. 25
But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words
of truth and soberness. 26 For the king
knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded
that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a
corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou
the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28
Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou
persuadest me to be a Christian. 29
And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that
hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these
bonds. 30 And when he had thus spoken,
the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
31 And when they were gone aside, they
talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of
bonds. 32 Then said Agrippa unto Festus,
This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.
Agrippa notes to Festus the irony of Paul’s innocence and yet the
danger he put himself into by appealing to Caesar. Still, this is all part of
God’s plan to get Paul to Rome in spite of himself.
Notice here how Agrippa makes the important statement;
Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Many people who acknowledge the moral teachings of Jesus consider
Him a great teacher of morality but deny any possibility of the resurrection
and therefore miss the mark of salvation. They would say almost thou
persuadeth me to be a Christian and never be one. In our culture many
people who are engaged in good works such as Masons will acknowledge all that
Jesus said except they will argue that all religions are a way to God, thereby
calling Jesus a liar and missing the mark set by God for salvation.
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